Christmas may be over but today began the real party for many Black Americans.

Kwanzaa, a seven-day celebration of African culture, birthed in 1966 and named after “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, was celebrated throughout Brooklyn in the most beautiful way. 17 black-owned bars and restaurants in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, and Park Slope made themselves available for the first ever Brooklyn Kwanzaa Crawl in honor of the first day of Kwanzaa — honoring Umoja meaning Unity.

Over 1,600 locals participated in the event — created by Kerry Coddett’s Operation Mobilize — as it looked to build community, and facilitate the creation of economic empowerment within Brooklyn.

“It’s not about us drinking,” Jamaal Patterson, one of the event organizers told Pix 11. “It’s done in the spirit of Kwanzaa. It’s about supporting black owned businesses. That’s unity, that’s cooperative economics.”

The event trended on social media for a number of hours and the photos were all glorious. Check out some of my favorites below: